Discover Top Posts Tagged with #marsh mongoose

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Many animals have unusual hunting methods, but the marsh mongoose's might be one of the strangest. To catch birds, adults will sometimes lie on their back as if sunbathing. This exposes their bright pink anus, and curious birds are drawn to peck at it. The mongoose then explodes into action, pouncing on the bird.

(Image: A marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus) by Colin Ralston)

#marsh mongoose #Carnivora #Herpestidae #mongooses #carnivores #mammals #uncharismatic facts

Marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus) By: Ernest P. Walker From: Walker's Mammals of the World 1964

#captivity #marsh mongoose #mongoose #carnivore #mammal #1964 #1960s #Ernest P. Walker #Walker's Mammals of the World #fave

A marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus) on the riverbed of the Saloum Delta, Senegal

by Paul Ellis

#marsh mongoose #mongooses #atilax paludinosus #atilax #herpestidae #carnivora #mammalia #chordata #wildlife: senegal #wildlife: africa

What’s your favorite animal that most people haven’t heard of what are your favorite things about that animal

There are many animals that could fit that description, but two I will focus on for now are the marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus) of Africa and the otter civet (Cynogale bennettii) of Southeast Asia. These two are examples of convergent evolution. They evolved a similar lifestyle to the raccoon, being omnivorous, aquatic creatures that forage by wading in the shallows with their paws for small prey. (This is what raccoons that live outside of cities do).

Another example is the rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster), a giant aquatic carnivorous rat native to Australia. It convergently evolved a lifestyle similar to otters, swimming after fish and crustaceans. This is even more distinct because it’s an example of a mostly omnivorous/herbivorous lineage (rats) becoming carnivorous.

Thank you for asking